I just returned from three weeks in Europe. There were dozens of highlights as you can imagine, but only one obsession, and that was the toilet – maybe not surprising, given its necessity and the intimate relationship we have with that receptacle. I was never disappointed in the clean and functional European offering and never resented occasionally paying a Euro or so for a worry-free experience. But my obsession was for the flushing mechanism: The Push Button Flush. Or, I should say the push buttons, for there were always two buttons, one larger, one smaller, indicating the amount of work you were asking the flush to handle.

Not only did the variety and aesthetics of buttons in Germany, Netherlands, Kosovo and Greece make me smile, but their efficiency was impressive. The flush was powerful, speedy and seemed to use less water than the swirling, meandering flush of many American models, including ours. In the privacy of the stall, I snapped photos of different styles, hoping my fellow flushers didn’t think I had an obsession of a different sort. Ugh.

My son, whom we were visiting, agreed that the push button system was superior, but as a long term renter, he pointed out that maintenance requires opening up the wall to get at the plumbing. No lifting the tank lid and jiggling that bulb-thingy.

I found that I was so “button-aware” that I saw them everywhere. Below are lighting fixtures in a hotel restaurant in Greece. Can you blame me for reaching toward them for just a quick press?

It was a wonderful trip that included seeing family, visiting museums, cathedrals, markets, eating too much with no regrets, swimming in the Aegean Sea, and shutting off all political news from the US. Now that we’re back, it’s a blow to learn that the deterioration is picking up speed. Musk has abandoned DOGE, but I’m not abandoning my “5 things I did” project. I will continue to do at least 5 good things each week and spread the word, and maybe I will find a new recipient for my weekly postcards. As for Musk, we’re through. I’m pushing the BIG button and whoosh he’s gone… to the sewer where he belongs.